MIT's Volpe site development to bring together Kendall Square community
Affordable housing, sustainability, business, and scientific research are among the top priorities for MIT’s Volpe Center redevelopment project. The project will include significant renovations to the Kendall Square MBTA station and the construction of 300 additional housing units, some of which will make up a new MIT graduate residence hall, replacing Eastgate.
Trump rescinds directive allowing transgender people to choose bathroom
President Donald Trump on Wednesday rescinded protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, overruling his own education secretary and placing his administration firmly in the middle of the culture wars that many Republicans have tried to leave behind.
At DataRescue, students collaborate to protect vital government data
DataRescue Boston at MIT, a day-long hackathon focused on preserving federal data at risk of manipulation or removal by the Trump administration, took place Saturday in Walker Memorial.
Fast-forward to spring
Today’s temperatures will be more than 20°F (11 K) warmer than normal for this time of year, as winter meets its premature demise in much of the United States. It has been a week since the high temperature observed at Boston’s Logan Airport was colder than its climatological normal, and today’s warm weather would be more suited for mid-May than for late February. This anomalous warmth is part of a pattern that has generated springlike weather over the East and the South, causing temperature records to be broken at many sites in those regions. Anomalously warm weather is forecast to continue for at least two more weeks east of a line running roughly from Texas to Wisconsin. With the first day of astronomical spring less than a month away, the prospect of a return to winter is becoming increasingly unlikely.
Minor completion forms, recycling questions, and student-faculty dinners
The deadline for final-term seniors to submit minor completion forms is tomorrow. There is a $50 late fee.
EVACUATED!
W20 shut down last night after a sewer line main may have broken, causing water to back up into the building and flood the loading dock.
The Engine announces new president, seeks startups to fund
MIT’s startup accelerator and venture capitalist fund The Engine selected experienced Boston entrepreneur and investor Katie Rae as its president and CEO Tuesday, according to an MIT News release.
Hearing postponed for student arrested for unlicensed firearm possession
The second hearing for Angel De La Cruz, an MIT senior arrested last month for unlicensed possession of firearms in his dorm room, has been rescheduled to Mar. 13, according to his lawyer, Kristin Weberg. The hearing was originally to take place Feb. 13. De La Cruz is currently being held in custody without bail.
ASA accepting applications to new student groups again
The moratorium imposed on new student groups by the Association of Student Activities has ended, meaning students can once again register new clubs. After a semester of not recognizing new groups due to understaffing and an outdated application system, the ASA has resumed the recognition process as originally planned.
Broad Institute will retain CRISPR patents, ruling says
The Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will retain potentially lucrative rights to a powerful gene-editing technique that could lead to major advances in medicine and agriculture, the federal Patent and Trademark Office ruled Wednesday.
Volpe meetings, gallery opening, ring premiere, and President's Day
There is no class Monday for President’s Day, and Tuesday will feature a Monday schedule. Enjoy the long weekend!
Planner creator petitions administration for support
A petition appeared on the site urging the MIT administration to better support the service.
Barnhart announces new location for dorm
Chancellor Barnhart named the West Garage parking facility (W45) as the most favorable location for the construction of a new undergraduate dormitory.
IS&T relocation, shuttle changes, CAMIT grant due, open during snow
Classes are cancelled today, Feb. 9. Happy snow day!
Drew Houston, CEO of Dropbox and MIT alum, gives talk on entrepreneurship
MIT alumnus Drew Houston ’05, the CEO of Dropbox, returned to campus Friday, Feb. 4 to give a talk about his life leading up to his current role as the head of the company he founded.
Banned undergraduate students allowed to return to MIT
The two undergraduates who had been barred from returning to MIT by President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on immigration were welcomed back to campus Feb. 3.
Chancellor discusses future of education with students
Around 50 undergraduate students gathered Wednesday evening to brainstorm the future of MIT’s education at an event hosted by the UA Committee on Education with Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88.
Letter from the Editor
To begin, I would like to thank you for helping us carry out a mission that was laid out so long ago: to serve the MIT community.
An active winter weather pattern
Today, parts of Massachusetts will likely pick up over one foot of snow as a low pressure system passes to our southeast. Accordingly, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the area until later this evening. For Boston, snowfall should increase through the morning, with the brunt of the snow occurring in the late morning and early afternoon. Most weather models have accumulated snow totals of 9-13 inches in Boston by early evening, after which snowfall begins to taper off. Snow cover, combined with colder and drier air behind the departing low, will set the stage for single digit temperatures tomorrow morning. After today’s system, Boston has a chance for lighter snowfall early Saturday morning in the form of snow showers. A third system approaches New England on Sunday, bringing another opportunity for rain and snow.
Editor’s note
In 2016, MIT turned its focus outward, developing new ways to take action on research, elaborating on the part of the Institute’s mission that commits it to “bring knowledge to bear on the world’s greatest challenges.” Within MIT, students took action to engage the administration on issues of identity, politics, and student life.